Maui hotel staff corner illegal lizard

The state Department of Agriculture says an illegal lizard was found roaming a Maui hotel hallway.

The department said today that hotel staff captured the alligator lizard on Feb. 3 and handed the animal over to inspectors. It's not known how the lizard got to the hotel.

The species is illegal in Hawaii but is native to a stretch of North America from southern Washington state to Baja California. They may grow up to two feet in length. Their diet includes insects, spiders, snails and other lizards.